Arshavin loan nothing more than salary dump

Lending out Andrei Arshavin to his former club Zenit St. Petersburg of Russia while you’re fighting for fourth place and a Champions League spot next season is nothing short of a salary dump. The Russian team is reportedly going to take over Arshavin’s paycheques until the end of the season and will hand over a cool million pounds to Arsenal for the use of the player. This could also be termed as a down payment for him if Zenit ends up buying him outright at the end of the season.

Arshavin is believed to make about 80,000 pounds a week, meaning the Gunners will save themselves around a million pounds in salary. But the problem with this team is that money always seems to be the number one priority, which makes this move quite hard to understand. There’s a good chance they’re going to save a couple of million, but end up losing about 50 million if they don’t make it to the Champions League next season. So with the highest paid manager in Europe and the highest ticket prices, Arsenal decides they’ll save a couple of million by taking the Zenit offer while it’s on the table.

The loan deal was literally finalized at the last minute and with the English transfer window closing at the end of January there’s no way to replace Arshavin other than with another squad member. But the squad’s already as thin as rice paper and has been decimated by injuries this season. Letting Arshavin leave now isn’t going to help Arsenal achieve its goal and with Ryo Miyaichi out on loan to Bolton, proving just how good he is it’s a bit mind boggling. It’s a curious way to run a football club when good players are loaned out and you bitch about not having a strong enough squad.

There’s no doubt that Arshavin was struggling this year compared with his previous seasons, but he’s still a world class player who can help when needed. What happens now if more players suffer serious injuries from now until the end of the season? The last time Arshavin touched the ball in an Arsenal uniform he set up Thierry Henry for the last-minute game-winner in a dramatic 2-1 win over Sunderland.

As far as I can remember, he never saw the pitch again, even though the Gunners were humiliated 4-0 by AC Milan and 2-0 by Sunderland in their next two games, effectively knocking them out of both this season’s Champions League and FA Cup. It is possible that Zenit insisted on taking Arshavin now if there’s a deal in place to buy him in the summer. If not, then it’s nothing short of ridiculous on Arsenal’s part to weaken their squad while in a race for fourth spot.

Aaron Ramsey recently injured himself and Theo Walcott is playing below par, which makes Arshavin a valuable piece of the puzzle. Manager Arsene Wenger kept saying the Russian wasn’t going anywhere, so you know how much he can be trusted when it comes to the status of players on his squad. In fact, didn’t he say the same thing about Cesc Fabregas and is now talking the same way about Robin Van Persie.

I don’t have a problem if Arsenal wants to unload Arshavin at the end of the season. That’s their prerogative, but to weaken the squad intentionally while you’re in a dogfight with Chelsea is a mistake, especially when the player can’t be replaced by somebody who’s as good. In addition, it now cuts down on competition between players. With Arshavin gone, other squad members will realize they’re going to be playing mo matter what.

The 30-year-old Russian wasn’t a complete flop in England, scoring 30 goals in 133 matches for Arsenal and setting up another 35. There’s no doubt that he’ll be heading to Poland and Ukraine when his loan spell is over to play for Russia in Euro 2012. Wherever he ends up after that is anyone’s guess. But I wish him luck. Love him or hate him he did provide football fans with some great memories, especially his four goal outburst at Anfield and his game winner against Barcelona last season in the Champions League.

Why is it nearly every site I have read over the last few months have said we should get rid off a number of players who are not up to scratch,whitch I agree with, AA was one of them, so you can not have it both ways, as AW decided he can go if only temporary and save some money dont moan.

Bad Company

That’s the opinion you’re entitled to Rob, but, I don’t see the author saying Arshavin wasn’t up to scratch and should be shipped out though. So how is it moaning?

Woppadon

I honestly think that Wenger is preparing to save a million as he is preparing to lose the Champions League money next year. If only he spent some money to ensure we stayed in the top four. We will see tomorrow how this team will fight back. As clearly they haven’t shown us to date this year. It stinks that Wenger states on the same day Arshavin leaves that he wont be leaving. How stupid does that make him look. I am glad to see Arshavin go. He clearly didn’t give a shit. This lack of fight has spread through the team. Maybe this can be the start of a clear out. Walcot I’m looking at you tomorrow. Show us some fight and run at them or you will be next. You should be trying to out shine Bale tomorrow, not about giving your weekly cliche to the media. Our ten outfield players should not stop running at them or after them. Get up and at them !!!!! We need 3 points with Chelsea winning today

Mark

Actually Ramsey is pure garbage and makes all our wingers look bad.

What did Ox do against Sunderland? Far less than what Theo did against Milan. Difference is that Milan are a top top team and Sunderland lost to WBA by 4 goals.

Whats the common link? Ramsey. He doesn’t play and we score 7. He plays and we lose.

Thundertinygooner

I very much agree with you about the priorities at Arsenal. The whole set up is now coming into question as the club’s performances deteriorate. Arshavin may well have contributed significantly especially if anything happens to RVP as Chamakh and Park are clearly either not in form or trusted by management. I’m afraid that we are penny wise pound foolish. Nevertheless when the team is on the field it needs our support and the negative criticism of young players like Ramsey helps no one.I hope our “supporters” realise this

Raztecengr

Some of you guys are too much. First you all wanted Arshavin out (myself included). Now that he is gone, you are all over criticizing the move. Him being gone is a good move. He is a shadow of what he once was.

Berg10

How does this clown write blogs when he’s so dumb? Criticising the manager for his spin on players….perhaps he’d rather Wenger let the oppos in on all the actual goings on?

For Wenger to let Arshavin go is proof that what he sees of him in traning is not good and surely the Ox is a better option. Probably we will be reminded of the cross he put in for Henry’s goal, well about time he did something to warrant the fat salary he’s been getting for the dispirited performances he’s put in for some time now.

Bad Company

Speaking of dumb clowns, what options do you have if the Ox get’s injured?

Berg10

Bigsy, you signed out just in time, did you gaze into that crystal ball and ‘done a runner’ rather than face the humiliation, you saw it coming mate didn’t you? Ha Ha!